Creating a Facebook event for your Christmas services, particularly your most family-friendly ones could be an effective way to reach new people in your community. As more people register their interest, their Facebook friends will see your service details too, and so the word will spread. Your church will need a Facebook page or group in order to create an event.

Creating an event is free. However, if you are able to invest a small amount of money into promoting your Christmas service event, for example £25-£100, you will see even greater results as the event will be shown to a wider audience. You can specify who the advert is shown to, so you could select a geographic radius around your church targeting only local people, which is better value for money. When compared with printing costs, you’ll find that Facebook advertising can be very reasonable, and yield better returns.

Step-by-step guide to creating a Facebook eventStep-by-step guide to promoting your event the simple way. (If you are confident using Facebook marketing, you could create your event through Adverts Manager for more tailored options)

Top Tips:​Look professional Before you begin creating your Facebook event, you will need to create a Facebook event photo with the right size and dimensions. The correct Facebook event photo size has the dimensions of 1920 x 1080 pixels. This is equivalent to an aspect ratio of 16:9. Free graphic design websites such as www.canva.com make this easy.

Alternatively, you can use a ready-made event photo by downloading one of these options:

Be interactive Post some updates in the run-up to the event so people who have registered interest can begin to look forward to attending. Could you share a picture of the church decorations going up? Or how about posting a sneak-preview of the children’s activities or even share a YouTube video of one of the carols you’ll be singing. Little things like this can build a sense of anticipation and help ensure people do turn up on the day!​Don’t panic! Whilst there are many options to consider, nothing is irreversible. So if you want to change a photo, or adjust your budget or wording you can do so easily. The most important thing is to get stuck in, take your time working through the options on-screen, and have fun as you see your new Christmas service event page taking shape!